Fictional Recruiters

It takes a certain type of person to be a recruiter. You have to care about other people and have excellent listening skills, while also being a strong negotiator and confident sales person in order to capture new clients, sell your applicants to employers, and draw in the applicants that are fit for the job.

If you have any other characters you think would fit the bill reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook, we’d love to hear your recommendations.

TV Characters That Would Make Fictional Recruiters

1. Leslie Knope

Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation would be a great recruiter. She is determined, hard-working, unafraid to speak her mind, and she will go to bat for everyone she cares about. If she were your recruiter and felt you were right for the job she would stop at nothing to make sure you got it, and she would probably give you a scrapbook outlining your whole experience together after you got the job. Leslie took April under her wing and mentored her throughout the duration of the show and helped April find a job doing what she loved. Leslie is caring, smart, and possesses most of the qualities listed in the Skillmeter article and for that reason she would be a fantastic recruiter.

2. Olivia Pope

Olivia Pope is a political fixer on Scandal. She handles high-powered clients in Washington, DC and fixes problems for every politician in Washington, even the president. Olivia Pope’s job is to defend her clients and make sure they come out on top. If she was a recruiter she would do a fantastic job – she is driven, confident, has fantastic time management skills, but she is still very patient with all of her clients (until they lie to her, that is). Ms. Pope has made a career around problem-solving and would stand behind each applicant she submitted to her client, directly outlining why they should be hired, what they will do for the company, and why her client would be a fool not to bring her applicant on board – all traits that make a great recruiter.

3. Don Draper

This may not seem like a straightforward choice, Don Draper from Mad Men you say? The guy who always seemed to only care for himself and didn’t worry about how his choices affected the people around him? Why yes, I stand behind the fact that he will make a good recruiter. Two of Don Draper’s biggest assets are his confidence and his marketing skills. He could sell anything to anyone and that is one of the things that would make him a great recruiter. You want someone that is persuasive, someone that will stand up to their client and make sure everyone is on the same page. He would never let the client walk all over him or his candidates and while he may not be as patient or communicative as some of the others on this list he will tell it like it is. If there’s a reason you’re not right for a job he will let you know. He will teach you how to be better and will market you in such a way that you land the best job for you – and maybe you guys would drink some scotch together in the process.

4. Annalise Keating

Annalise Keating is a defense attorney and teacher on the television show How to Get Away With Murder. On the show her efforts may be devoted to helping people avoid going to jail but her personality traits definitely fall in line with the one’s outlined in the Skillmeter article. Annalise would make a great recruiter because she is relentless; she will follow up with the client continuously until she hears back about the status of your interview/job offer and she will not take no for an answer. She will also make sure that you are prepared beyond a doubt for any interviews with potential employers – she will prep you until you’re ready and until you are the best version of yourself for the job. She has a very strong, confident presence in her work life and she is very target-driven. Often juggling many cases at once, (plus being an attorney, teacher, and mentor) she is definitely able to multi-task and get the job done while lending her expertise to up-and-comers as well. While we may be a tiny bit afraid of her if she was our recruiter, we are confident she would find us the best job, and she would make sure we were prepared to crush it once we got it.

5. Michael Scott

Michael Scott from The Office may not be a likely choice to be on this list. Many times throughout the course of the show the other employees of Dunder Mifflin were trying to keep clients in spite of Michael’s outrageous behaviour. But Michael was the office manager and was able to run the most successful branch of their Pennsylvania paper company. Despite his antics he has a wonderful heart, is very reliable, and has patience. If you had Michael Scott as your recruiter you know there would never be a dull moment and chances are he would be able to use his crazy business techniques and schemes to convince clients you are right for the job. And while he may be a lot to handle he is lovable at his core and really does try his best and believes in everyone around him

6. Cookie Lyon

Cookie Lyon, from the TV show Empire, is ferocious. She will stop at nothing until she gets what she wants; whether it’s for herself, her sons, or the artists she’s managing, she will go out of her way to end up on top. She is completely confident, is great at problem-solving, and will step over any other applicants in the way of finding you a job. You don’t want to be on the opposing side of her but if she’s in your corner you can guarantee she’s committed to doing everything she can for you – by any means necessary. If she was our recruiter we know we would have her attention and if she knows what we want she will be ruthless in getting it for us. Cookie would be great in salary negotiations and getting your resume in front of the proper eyes – you just know she has the connections.

7. Alicia Florrick

Alicia Florrick is an attorney on The Good Wife. She is a lawyer that is used to getting what she wants. She helps her clients win cases by gathering evidence and presenting facts. She would make a great recruiter due to the fact that she would back up everything she says with solid facts. If you’re not right for a job she’ll tell you why, if she feels the client needs to meet with you she’ll convince them that’s the case. She is smart, confident, has strong communication skills, excellent time management, reliability, and strong team working skills (she often argues in court alongside other lawyers). Alicia would be a great recruiter because she could hunt down the right candidates, convince clients to hire her candidates, and find new clients for her agency. She has experience in recruiting new leads and finding new clients and those skills would make her a very useful recruiter in every sense.

8. Mindy Lahiri

Mindy Lahiri is the main character on The Mindy Project. Mindy is a doctor who is outspoken, driven, and will always get what she wants. Mindy desperately wants to be one of the ‘cool kids’; she wants to be part of the latest trends and involved in everything that is going on in popular culture. Mindy would make a great recruiter from a business sense – she is up-to-date on all the latest technologies and she would know how to track down the best candidates. She would also be a big hit with the younger crowd, she would be able to bring in smart, young candidates coming out of school. she could attract all of the new talent that all companies have their eye on. Mindy is also confident, reliable, and would definitely go to bat for her candidates and her clients, making sure everyone (including herself) got a sweet deal out of the transaction.

9. Amy Santiago

Amy Santiago of Brooklyn Nine Nine is a cop that is obsessed with being liked and respected by her superiors. Being a cop means she is a team player, an excellent problem solver, and has strong time-management and interpersonal skills. She is desperate to please everyone and she would go above and beyond to help every client find the employees they need as well as help all of her candidates be the best version of themselves. She wouldn’t stop until she found you the perfect job because she wouldn’t want you to think less of her. She possesses almost all of the characteristics listed in Skillmeter’s article and while her need for approval could cause her some problems, it is more than likely that she will push herself until everyone in her professional life is happy and satisfied.

All of these characters possess many of the characteristics outlined in Skillmeter’s “15 Qualities a Great Recruiters Must Have”. Which other TV characters do you think would make good recruiters? Comment with your suggestions below!